Apparatus for making electrical connections



Nov. 30, 1965 R. A. LONG 3,220,099

APPARATUS FOR MAKING ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS Filed Dec. 17, 1964 6Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 30, 1965 R. A. LONG 3,220,099

APPARATUS FOR MAKING ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS Filed D60. 17, 1964 6Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 30, 1965 R. A. LONG 3,220,099

APPARATUS FOR MAKING ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS Filed Dec. 17, 1964 6Sheets-Sheet 5 Nov. 30, 1965 R. A. LONG 3,220,099

APPARATUS FOR MAKING ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS Filed Dec. 17, 1964 I 6Sheets-Sheet 4 Nov. 30, 1965 R. A. LONG 3,220,099

APPARATUS FOR MAKING ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS Filed Dec. 17, 1964 6Sheets-Sheet 5 Nov. 30, 1965 R. A. LONG 3,220,099

APPARATUS FOR MAKING ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS Filed Dec. 17, 1964 6Sheets-Sheet 6 United States Patent 3,220,099 APPARATUS FOR MAKINGELECTRICAL CONNECTIGNS Robert Alvin Long, Harrisburg, Fa, assignor toAMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa. Filed Dec. 17, 1964, Ser. No. 419,1758 Claims. (Ci. 29-2tl3) This invention relates to apparatus forelectrically connecting conductors to terminal posts by means ofterminal clips which are adapted to be telescopically moved onto thepost and to hold the conductors thereagainst.

In my co-pending application, Serial No. 299,377, filed August 1, 1963,of which the present application is a continuation-in-part, there isdisclosed a device for electrically connecting a conductor to a terminalpost by means of a generally channel-shaped open-sided terminal clipwhich is adapted to be moved telescopically onto the post and to dragthe conductor over the surface of the post in the manner such that afterthe terminal clip comes to rest, it holds the conductor against thesurface of the post. The apparatus disclosed in co-pending application299,377 comprises a reciprocable clip pusher which pushes a strip ofend-to-end connected clips along a predetermined path and a mandrel overwhich the leading clip of the strip is pushed when an electricalconnection is being made. The leading clip of the strip is severed fromthe strip of clips by means of a detent device which engages the clipthat is next adjacent to the leading clip and prevents movement of thetrailing portion of the strip while the clip pusher is pushing theleading clip over the mandrel and onto the post. The leading clip of thestrip is thereby broken away from the strip so that it can be pushedindependently over the mandrel and onto the post to make a singleelectrical connection. It should be added that the apparatus disclosedand claimed in application, Serial No. 299,377, is a device inaccordance with the general teachings of the copending application ofRobert F. Cobaugh, Serial No. 171,074, filed February 2, 1962.

The present invention relates to an improved device in accordance withthe general teachings of the above-identified Cobaugh application and,more specifically, an improved device of the general type disclosed andclaimed by co-pending application, Serial No. 299,377.

An object of the invention is, therefore, the provision of an improvedapparatus for making clip-type electrical connections between conductorsand terminal posts. A further object is to provide a device which can bemanufactured and assembled at a relatively low cost. A still furtherobject is to provide a device for making clip-type electricalconnections having an improved detent mechanism for controlling themovement of the strip of endto-end connected terminal clips when anelectrical connection is being made. A still further object is toprovide a device which can be used with terminal clips of varying sizes.

These and other objects of the invention are achieve-d in one embodimentthereof comprising a hand tool constructed in accordance with thegeneral teachings of my co-pending application, Serial No. 299,377 andcomprising a mandrel and a reciprocable clip pusher which is movablealong a rectilinear path extending over and beyond the end of themandrel. The arrangement is such that clip pusher engages the leadingclip of a strip of end-to-end connected clips and straddles the entirestrip during its movement so that the strip is pushed along therectilinear path during movement of the push rod. In order to separatethe leading clip of the strip, which is to be applied to an individualterminal post, from the trailing portion of the strip, I provide a pairof detent levers pivotally mounted on each side of the relatively thinguide rib over which the clip pusher moves. These "ice levers arenormally biased into engagement with the underside of the strip so thatthey engage the clip which is next adjacent to the leading clip andthereby prevent further movement of the trailing portion of the stripbeyond the detent levers. The leading clip is thus broken away from thetrailing portion of the strip and pushed onto the terminal post. Theguide rib is relatively thin and is straddled by the strip of clips withthe sidewalls of the individual clips extending parallel to the sides ofthe rib and with the edge of the rib being received between the clipside walls. This arrangement for guiding the strip of clips permits theaccommodation of clips of varying heights in a single tool so that onetool can be used to make electrical connections with terminal posts ofdifferent sizes. A further advantage of the invention is that the guiderib, and many of the associated parts can, if desired, be manufacturedby conventional stamping and forming operations with the attendantadvantage of low unit cost.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a short section of strip of end-to-endconnected terminal clips;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a clip-type electrical connectionbetween a terminal post and a conductor;

FIGURE 3 is a side view of a hand tool in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 3A is a view taken along the lines 33 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 4 is a partially exploded perspective view of the nose portion ofthe tool of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4 but showing the parts fullyexploded;

FIGURE 6 is an exploded fragmentary perspective view showing some partscontained in the rearward end of the tool;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional side view of the nose portion of the tool;

FIGURE 8 is a view taken along the lines 8-8 of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 is a sectional side view, on an enlarged scale, showing thedetent mechanism by means of which the strip of clips being fed throughthe tool is prevented from moving rearwardly in the tool;

FIGURE 10 is a view taken along the lines l0-10 of FIGURE 9; and

FIGURE 11 is a sectional view showing the guide rib and clip pusher andillustrates the manner in which varying sizes of clips can be used inthe tool.

Referring first to FIGURES l and 2, in a clip-type connection between aterminal post 12 and a conductor 16, the stripped end 14 of theconductor is held against the surface of the post by means of a terminalclip which embraces the post. The clips are ordinarily manufactured inend-to-end strip form 2 with each clip comprising a web portion 4 havingsidewalls 6 extending from its opposite sides. These sidewalls arereversely curled inwardly towards the underside of the web as shown at 8and are advantageously dimensioned to grip the post and wire 14relatively tightly thereby to establish a stable, low-resistanceelectrical connection. The sidewalls thus define an open seam extendingaxially along the clip on the side opposite to the web. An outwardlycupped insulation support 10 is provided at one end of the web 4 of eachclip through which the insulated portion 16 of the wire emerges in thefinished connection. The individual clips of the strip are connectedtogether as shown at 15, the strength of the connecting section beingsuch that the clips can be broken apart by imposing a tensile force onthe strip as will be explained more fully below.

The present invention is described below in an embodiment comprising ahand tool 18 constructed in accordance with the general principles of mypreviously iden- 3 tified application, Serial No. 299,377. Accordingly,the general principles of operation and construction of the 'tool 18will be described only to the extent necessary for an understanding ofthe principles of the present invention,

The tool 18, FIGURE 3, comprises an outer housing member 20 and an innerhousing 22, the outer housing having a depending handle portion 24 andthe inner housing having a corresponding handle portion 26. The outerhousing member has a rearward extension 21 and the inner housing has anextension 23 contained within the extension 21. The two housing portionsare relatively telescopically slidable into each other upon squeezing ofthe handles 24, 26 to move the clip pusher, described more fully below,relatively over the tool mandrel. A rectangular frame (not shown) iscontained within the housing members 20, 22 and has a channelshapedrojection 28 extending forwardly from the end of the outer housing 20,this projection 28 comprising a web or top-plate section 30 from whichsidewalls 32 depend. A pair of support plates 36, 38, FIGURE 4, areretained between the inner surfaces of the sidewalls 32, by pins 390,39c, and project beyond the end of the projection 28. A mandrel blockgenerally indicated at 34 is secured between the plates 36, 38 by meansof a fastener 40.

A mandrel comprising an elongated head 42 and a rib 44 is provided onthe upper surface of the mandrel block, the head portion 42 conforminggenerally to the internal dimensions of a terminal clip so that anindividual clip can be moved over the mandrel and onto a terminal post.An opening 46 extends transversely of the mandrel head and downwardlythrough the rib portion 44 for reception of an end portion of a wirewhich is to be connected to a terminal post. An extension 48 projectsrearwardly from the opening 46 and also con forms to the internaldimensions of a terminal clip. During usage, as explained in mycopending application, Serial No. 299,377, the end portion of theinsulation of a wire is stripped therefrom when the terminal clip dragsthe wire from the opening 46 and over the upper surface of the mandrelhead 42. The stripped section of the insulation remains in the opening46 and is removed by means of a transverse opening 50 which extendsthrough the mandrel block and intersects the opening 46. Advantageously,a spring member 52 is provided on the sidewall 32 which has a leg inalignment with the opening 50 so that the remaining section ofinsulation can be removed by merely pressing on this spring to drive theend portion thereof through the transverse opening 50.

The clip pusher 54 (see FIGURES 7 and FIGURE 9), by means of which theleading clip of the strip contained in the tool is fed over the mandrel,is of generally channel-shaped cross section having a top wall 56 anddepending sidewalls 58. A channel-shaped liner or insert 60 is mountedin the forward end of the clip pusher and serves to adjust the internaldimensions of the clip pusher to the external dimensions of anindividual one of the clips so that the clip being pushed over themandrel will be closely and accurately controlled during its movement. Apair of fingers 62 are struck inwardly from the sidewalls 58 at theforward end of the clip pusher and have inwardly turned end portionswhich are adapted to lodge between the leading clip of the strip and thenext adjacent clip during operation. The rearward end of the clip pusher54 is provided with laterally extending cars 64 which extend intonotches 74 in a pair of spaced-apart support plates 66, 68. Anadditional ear 65 is provided on one of the sidewalls of the clip pusheradjacent to the rearward end of this member and extends into a notch 67in the forward edge of the plate 66. The plates 66, 68 are secured to ablock 70 by means of pins 73 and to the outer housing member by screws,one of which is shown at 72. The clip pusher 54 is thereby secured tothe outer housing member and moves relatively over the mandrel when thetwo housing members are moved into telescoping relationship with eachother.

A strip 2 of terminal clips is fed over the upper surface of a guideplate 76, the rearward end of which rests slidably on the upper surfaceof the block 70 and the forward end of which is enlarged as shown at 78.Flanges are provided on the opposite sides of the enlarged forward ends78 of the strip support plate, these flanges being received in notchesor pockets 84 in the rearward ends 82 of the support plates 36, 38. The

clip pusher straddles the strip of clips resting on the support plateand engages the strip in the gap between the leading clip and the nextadjacent clip by means of the inwardly directed fingers 62. Uponrelative leftward movement of the clip pusher 54, the leading endportion of the strip is thus moved leftwardly over the upper edge 87 ofa guide rib 86 in a manner such that the depending sidewalls of theclips extend over the opposite sides of the rib. An obliquely directedlance 88 is struck from the upper edge portion of the guide rib 86 todefine a forwardly facing shoulder which functions as a detent forpreventing retrograde movement of the strip during relative rearwardmovement of the clip pusher. The edge portion 90 of the plate adjacentto the outwardly struck lance 88 is advantageously also bent laterallybut to a lesser degree than the lance 88 in order to guide the stri ontothe extension 48 of the mandrel (see FIGURE 10). The forward end portionof the rib 86 is cut away as shown at 92 and the previously identifiedextension of the mandrel head extends into this notch in the rib so thatits rearward end is disposed adjacent to the upper edge 87 of the guiderib.

A pair of levers 94 are pivotally mounted on the pin 39a on each side ofthe plate 86 and have upwardly directed hooks 98 on their forward ends.These hooks are dimensioned to conform to the gap which remains betweenadjacent clips of the strip on the underside thereof and function asdetents for preventing forward motion of the strip after the hooks havebeen engaged with the terminal clip which is next adjacent to theleading clip.

Ears 102 are struck out from the rib 86 immediately below the lance 88and function as stops to prevent upward movement of the levers beyondthe position shown. The rearward ends 144 of the levers 94 slopegenerally downwardly and are provided with rearwardly facing cammingsurfaces 106 which are engaged by a pin 1% extending between thesidewalls of the forward portion of the housing 108 as will be explainedbelow. It should be pointed out at this juncture that the upwardlydirected books 98 of the levers 94 will normally be in engagement withthe frontal portion of the leading terminal of the strip. When thehandle portions 24, 26 are squeezed, the outer housing member 20 and theclip pusher move relatively leftwardly in the drawing and the strip ofclips is pushed leftwardly towards the mandrel. During this initialportion of the operating cycle, the pin 108 moves against the cammingsurfaces 106 of the levers 94 and momentarily swings the levers in acounterclockwise direction about their pivotal axis to disengage thehooks from the leading end portion of the strip. Upon further relativeleftward movement of the pin 108, the levers are permitted to return totheir normal positions under the influence of a spring so that they arebiased against the underside of the strip. When the gap between theleading terminal of the strip and the next adjacent terminal moves intoalignment with these hooks, the hooks lodge in the gap and preventfurther leftward movement of the strip. As a result, the leadingterminal is broken away from the strip and pushed onto the terminal postas explained more fully in my above-identified copending application.

A pair of support plates 110, 112 are mounted on each side of the levers94 and the entire sub-assembly comprising the guide rib, the levers, andthe support plate is contained in a two-part housing 114, 116. Each partof this housing comprises a plate having inwardly directed flanges 118,120, 122 and 124 on its sides which abut when the parts are in theirassembled relationship to form a housing member surrounding thesub-assembly of the parts mentioned above. A notch 128 is provided onthe lower side of each of the housing parts 114, 116 through which thetrailing ends 104 of the levers 94 project. This sub-assembly containedin the nose portion of the tool is secured in position by the pins3911-393. Pins 39c and 39:: extend through the depending sidewalls 32and through the parts contained between these sidewalls. The remainingpins extend through the plates 36, 38, through the housing members 114,116, and through the rib 86.

The forward ends of the levers 94 are normally biased upwardly, asviewed in the drawing, by means of a hairpin-type spring 136, the bightof which extends through a notch 132 on the lower edge of the rib 86 andthe legs of which are lodged between the opposed surfaces of the rib 86and the surfaces of the plates 110, 112. The legs of this spring thusextend over the pin 3% and are normally stressed resiliently in a mannerwhich urges the forward ends of the levers upwardly.

The structural features of the tool shown, which are not describedabove, are substantially the same as those of the tool described indetail in my co-pending application, Serial No. 299,377. Inasmuch as thepresent invention concerns primarily the detent mechanism shown inFIGURES 4 and 5 and this mechanism has been described in detail above,it is not deemed necessary to further describe the structural featuresof the tool.

In operation, the operator first inserts a wire into the opening 46 ofthe mandrel and squeezes the handle extensions 24, 26. During thisportion of the operating cycle, the clip pusher moves relativelyleftwardly with respect to the mandrel until the leading end of the clippusher is disposed in overhanging relationship to the end of themandrel. It is during this portion of the cycle that the strip 2 isadvanced a short distance and the levers are depressed, as shown inFIGURE 9, to permit movement of the strip past the forward ends of thehooks. After such initial movement of the strip, the hooks engage thestrip between the leading clip and the next adjacent clip so that theleading clip, upon further movement of the clip pusher, is broken awayfrom the strip and pushed onto the mandrel.

After such initial movement of the clip pusher with respect to themandrel, the operator positions the tool in alignment with the terminalpost to which a connection is to be made and presses downwardly wherebythe clip pusher moves relatively further beyond the end of the mandreland pushes the terminal clip onto the post.

It should be noted that the disclosed form of tool differs from the tooldisclosed in application, Serial No. 299,377 in that the outer housingmember 20 may be secured to the plates 66, 68 by means of any one of thefour tapped holes 71. T he screw 72 extends through one of four holes inthe outer housing extension 21, through an elongated slot in the innerhousing extension 23 (as described fully in co-pending application299,377) and is threaded into one of the four tapped holes 71 in theplate 76. This arrangement permits the stroke of the clip pusher to becontrolled in order to adapt the tool to posts of varying heights and/orto usage under circumstances where one or more terminal clips havepreviously been ap plied to a post. If it is desired to shorten thestroke of the clip pusher, it is thus merely necessary to move the screwfrom the remote opening and tapped hole to one of the three remainingopenings and tapped holes. The shortest stroke for the clip pusher isachieved by threading the screw through the tapped hole and opening onthe left in FIGURE 6.

A salient advantage of the present invention is that the detentsub-assembly comprising the rib, the levers, the support plates, and theguide plates can be manufactured by conventional stamping and formingmethods at an extremely low cost and without the necessity of a highdegree of precision. These parts can further be assembled with relativeease and disassembled, if necessary, for modification or repair. Afurther advantageous feature is that since the individual terminal clipsare supported by the guide rib only, which extends between the curledsidewalls of the clips, a tool in accordance with the invention isadapted to accept terminal clips of different sizes, as illustrated inFIGURE 11. In this view, a terminal clip having relatively widesidewalls is shown in phantom lines while a clip having comparativelynarrow sidewalls is shown in full lines. Either size of clip, as well asclips of intermediate size, can be accommodated in the tool shown.

I claim:

1. Apparatus of the type intended for applying opensided terminal clipsin end-to-end strip form to terminal posts thereby to electricallyconnect conductors to said posts, said apparatus comprising, a mandrelfor supporting said clips during movement onto said post, a relativelythin guide rib in alignment with said mandrel, clip pushing meansengageable with the leading clip of said strip for pushing a strip ofsaid clips along a predetermined path extending over said guide rib andover said mandrel, and detent means engageable with the next adjacentclip of said strip, said detent means comprising lever means pivotallymounted beside said guide rib on an axis extending transversely of saidpredetermined path, hook means on said lever means, said hook meansbeing engageable with said next adjacent clip during movement of saidstrip, and means, responsive to said clip pusher means for moving saidhook means into engagement with said strip after said leading clip hasbeen pushed by said clip pushing means beyond said hook means whereby,said leading clip is broken away from said strip and pushed over saidmandrel and onto said terminal post.

2. Apparatus of the type intended for applying opensided terminal clipsto terminal posts thereby to electrically connect conductors to saidposts, said apparatus comprising, a mandrel for supporting said clipsduring movement onto said post, a relatively thin guide rib in alignmentwith said mandrel, clip pushing means engageable With the leading clipof said strip for pushing a strip of said clips along a predeterminedpath extending over said guide rib and over said mandrel, detent meansengageable with the next adjacent clip of said strip, said detent meanscomprising a pair of levers, one of said levers being disposed on eachside of said rib, said levers being pivotally mounted intermediate theirends on a pin extending through said rib, one end of each of said leversbeing disposed adjacent to said mandrel, said one end of each leverhaving means thereon for engagement with said terminal strip, springmeans normally biasing said levers into engagement with said strip ofclips, and means responsive to said clip pushing means engageable withthe other ends of said levers for swinging said levers about saidpivotal axis during initial movement of said clip pusher means therebyto permit movement of said leading clip past said one end of each ofsaid levers whereby, said leading clip is pushed over said mandrel, saidone end of each lever being engageable with the next adjacent terminalof said clip whereby said leading clip is broken away from said leadingterminal.

3. Apparatus of the type intended for applying terminal clips inend-to-end strip form to terminal posts thereby to electrically connectconductors to said posts, said terminal clips having an open seamextending axially along one side thereof, said apparatus comprising, arelatively thin guide rib, reciprocahle clip pushing means for pushing astrip of said clips axially over said guide rib with said rib extendinginto said seam, a first detent means disposed beside said rib andengageable with the leading clip of said strip thereby to preventmovement of said strip in the direction of clip feed, detent disengagingmeans, responsive to the movement of said clip pushing means, fordisengaging said first detent means from said leading clip duringinitial movement of said clip pushing means whereby, said leading clipis permitted to move past said first detent means, said detentdisengaging means permitting engagement of said detent means with thenext adjacent clip of said strip whereby, said leading clip is brokenaway from said next adjacent clip and pushed onto said terminal post. i

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein said first detent meanscomprises a lever pivotally mounted beside said guide rib and havinghook means thereon for engagement with said leading terminal clip.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein said first detent meanscomprises a lever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends beside saidrib, said lever having hook means at one end thereof for engagement withsaid leading clip, said detent disengaging means being engageable withthe other end of said lever to swing said lever about its pivotal axisthereby to disengage said hook means from said leading terminal clip.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 including guide platform means forsaid clips disposed in axial alignment with said rib and extendingupstream, relative to the direction of clip feed, therefrom, said clippushing means comprising a channel member movable relatively over saidguide platform means and in straddling relationship to a strip of saidclips, said channel member having means engageable with said leadingclip to push said leading clip over said rib and beyond said detentmeans.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 including a lance struck from saidrib and disposed upstream, relative to the direction of clip movement,from said first detent means,

said lance functioning as a second detent means for preventingretrograde movement of said strip of clips.

8. Apparatus of the type intended for applying terminal clips inend-to-end strip form to terminal posts thereby to electrically connectconductors to said posts, said terminal clips having an open seamextending axially along one side thereof, said apparatus comprising, arelatively thin guide rib, reciprocable clip pushing means for pushing astrip of said clips axially over said guide rib with said rib extendinginto said open seam, lance means struck out from said rib and extendingobliquely therefrom and in the direction of movement of said stripwhereby, said lance functions as a detent means for preventingretrograde movement of said strip of clips, a lever disposed beside saidrib having a hook extending therefrom and intersecting the path ofmovement of said strip, said hook being disposed in advance of saidlance means by a distance substantially equal to the length of a singleclip, said hook being engageable with the leading clip of said strip,and means for disengaging said hook from said leading clip duringinitial movement of said clip pushing means whereby, said leading clipis pushed past said hook and said hook engages said next adjacent clip,and upon further movement of said clip pusher said leading clip isbroken away from said next adjacent clip and pushed onto said terminalpost.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,151,389 10/1964Stine 29--203 3,152,390 10/1964 Floyd 29203 WHITMORE A. WILTZ, PrimaryExaminer.

THOMAS H. EAGER, Examiner.

1. APPARATUS OF THE TYPE INTENDED FOR APPLYING OPENSIDED TERMINAL CLIPSIN END-TO-END STRIP FORM TO TERMINAL POSTS THEREBY TO ELECTRICALLYCONNECT CONDUCTORS TO SAID POSTS, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING, A MANDRELFOR SUPPORTING SAID CLIPS DURING MOVEMENT ONTO SAID POST, A RELATIVELYTHIN GUIDE RIB IN ALIGNMENT WITH SAID MANDREL, CLIP PUSHING MEANSENGAGEABLE WITH THE LEADING CLIP OF SAID STRIP FOR PUSHING A STRIP OFSAID CLIPS ALONG A PREDETERMINED PATH EXTENDING OVER SAID GUIDE RIB ANDOVER SAID MANDREL, AND DETENT MEANS ENGAGEABLE WITH THE NEXT ADJACENTCLIP OF SAID STRIP, SAID DETENT MEANS COMPRISING LEVER MEANS PIVOTALLYMOUNTED BESIDE SAID GUIDE RIB ON AN AXIS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAIDPREDETERMINED PATH, HOOK MEANS ON SAID LEVER MEANS, SAID HOOK MEANSBEING ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID NEXT ADJACENT CLIP DURING MOVEMENT OF SAIDSTRIP, AND MEANS, RESPONSIVE TO SAID CLIP PUSHER MEANS FOR MOVING SAIDHOOK MEANS INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID STRIP AFTER SAID LEADING CLIP HASBEEN PUSHED BY SAID CLIP PUSHING MEANS BEYOND SAID HOOK MEANS WHEREBY,SAID LEADING CLIP IS BROKEN AWAY FROM SAID STRIP AND PUSHED OVER SAIDMANDREL AND OR TO SAID TERMINAL POST.